4/7 Freedom of Expression Day, in memory of Zheng Nanxuan, but also should remember his widow, Ms. Ye Julan, who abandoned business after Zheng Nanxuan's death, for 30 years she completed the unfinished road for him, fighting for the laws of feminism, Ye Julan said: "He taught me to rebel, he taught me to rebel for their own happiness, he taught me: "You can choose your own choice." 」

In 1989, the magazine's founder, Zheng Nanxuan, burned himself to death after an explosion broke out in the free-time magazine. Waiting outside was the police who were preparing to arrest Zheng Nanxuan, but did not expect him to resist in a burning manner. After Zheng's life's pursuit of full freedom of speech and his own death, the Executive Council on December 22, 2016, established April 7 as Freedom of Expression Day, symbolizing Taiwan's liberal democracy and commemorating Zheng's spirit of freedom of speech. (Recommended reading: The name that Taiwanese shouldn't forget: To you!) Zheng Nanxuan in exchange for freedom of speech in self-immolation )

And in such days, we should remember that Zheng Nanxuan is not alone, he has his family, Ms. Ye Julan, after his death, inherited his legacy. After his death, Mr. Ye chose to go into politics, fighting for the rights and interests of women, indigenous peoples and Hakkas, served as a legislator, Taiwan's first female deputy cabinet secretary, and was appointed as Taiwan's first female directly-administered mayor.

Such a day, we miss Zheng Nanxuan, should also thank Ye Julan.

Photo: Zheng Nanxuan Foundation

The choice of Ye Julan

"On the 30th anniversary of Zheng's death and my 30year in politics, as a family member, I express my concern and my expectation that society needs freedom of speech, and that it cannot be erased because of fake news, but it cannot be caused by freedom of speech to pass on fake news that hurt people everywhere." 」

This is a passage from Ye Julan in an interview on March 23 this year, the 30th anniversary of Zheng Nanxuan's martyrdom, and the 30th year that she abandoned her business.

Before he came to politics, Ye worked for the advertising company. At that time, the advertising world was male, men and women were treated differently, sexism was serious, and the advertisements for recruitment services often read "Men for Men". Also Xing Xu is Miao Li Hakka origin, she has a proud bone, do not accept the character of loss, wind and rain more, the more wind and rain go, she will send the resume directly to the honorary chairman, the head reads:

"I'm not male, but I can accept such a challenging job, and if you don't give me an interview, you'll regret it!" 」

As a result, this self-confidence and pride took her to the top, and eventually became the united advertising company as business director.

But in 1989, her husband, Zheng Nanxuan, set herself on fire for resisting arrest, and she did not hesitate to abandon business and turn to politics, where she entered the race for the first term as a legislator. It is not so much to continue Zheng Nanxuan's ideas and to carry on his legacy, but to say that she has completed the unfinished road for him.

Thirty years ago in Taiwan, the proportion of women was very small, regardless of business and government, and in the first legislative increase by-election, only Ye Julan was a woman. In such a conservative era, she broke through and set a major milestone for women's participation in politics. Since then, she was re-elected to four terms in the Legislature, and was later appointed as Minister of Transport, Chairman of the Hakka Committee of the Executive Council, and became Taiwan's first female Deputy Cabinet, the first female mayor of Kaohsiung City (Acting Mayor of Kaohsiung).

Ye Julan once said in a speech, his fearless, "rebellious" spirit, from his father insisted on sending himself to read, but also from the encouragement of Mr. Zheng Nanxuan: "He taught me to rebel, he taught me to rebel and justify, he taught me to rebel for their own happiness, he taught me: "You can choose your own choice." (Recommended reading: First punch, I was at the Successful University of Nanyu Square)

Pictures , screenshots of interviews

In an age of inequality, she breaks the limits for women.

Influenced by Mr. Zheng Nanxuan, Ye Julan read many feminist books, understood the plight of women in the times, and from each female experience, to find a way out for herself, whether from the business, she just wanted to prove: "Women can. "

So she was able to argue with her superiors in advertising agencies for unequal pay and unfair promotion systems.

So she fought for women's rights in the legislature, leading the anti-child prostitution legislation of 1993, the Sexual Assault Prevention and Control Act of 1997, and calling for women's work rights to be protected, and challenging the "single clause" that women in the workplace were forced to sign.

In the sense of women's autonomy, I personally are also constantly learning, in the collision of growth.

Ye Julan

4/7 Free Speech Day, talk about the meaning of freedom of speech, not only in Zheng Nanxuan self-immolation of the day, the meaning of freedom of speech, is Ye Julan's struggle, is she after taking the will of Mr.

Reference data

Lawmaker Ye Julan Information Station
New Taiwan Weekly, Ye Julan's Life Forever Fights for Adversity (2007/7/5)
Zheng Nanxuan Foundation, Ye Julan: Nylon, how are you?